Two competing characteristics are desirable in a golf putting stroke. First, some lift must be imparted to the golf ball to cause it to rise slightly out of the grass on the putting surface and begin its travel toward the hole with a minimum likelihood of initial deflection from the blades of grass on which it rests. The second desirable factor of said stroke is the induction of topspin to the ball in order to cause said ball to roll in a straight line course with minimum deviation resulting from its contact with the putting surface.
The putter of this invention achieves a unique combination of those two desirable characteristics with a putter which has satisfactory balance and instills confidence on the part of the golfer. Accordingly, this invention provides an elongate convex, parabolic protuberance which extends along the forward face of the putter head with its apex at a predetermined height designed to contact a golf ball only slightly below its center. By contacting the ball below center, the protuberance imparts a minimal lifting force to the ball as it is set in motion. The protuberance is convex at all sections from the heel of the putter to its toe. As the golfer continues the swing of his putting stroke, which naturally causes the putter head to elevate from the ground, the bottom portion of the parabolic surface of the putter face rides up on the ball and imparts topspin. The convex section preferably approximates an exponential curve or parabola. The convex is very slight, however, to avoid too much lift or too much operspin on a poor stroke.